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The Englishman Who Went up a Hill But Came Down A Mountain (1995)

The Englishman Who Went up a Hill But Came Down A Mountain (1995)
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A proud Welsh community finds their civic pride and sense of community threatened by a team of surveyors in this charmingly eccentric comedy. Reginald Anson (Hugh Grant) and George Garrard (Ian McNeice) are a pair of British cartographers with Her Majesty's Ordinance Survey Office, who arrive in the small Welsh town of Ffynnon Garw, where, thanks to a linguistic quirk stemming from the British domination of Wales, many of the citizens in this town lack proper surnames and instead are identified by occupations or personal characteristics, such as Ivor the Grocer (Robert Blythe) or Johnny Shellshocked (Ian Hart). The town's greatest pride and most prominent landmark is a mountain (named, like the town, Ffynnon Garw), which they claim is the first mountain in Wales, and which helped protect the village from any number of Romans, Saxons, Norsemen, and other foreign invaders over the centuries. However, Reginald and George have some bad news for the townsfolk: under British law, a land mass must be at least 1,000 feet tall to qualify as a mountain, and according to their measurements, Ffynnon Garw comes in at only 930 feet, making it just a big hill. The citizens are shocked, insulted, and angry, and after much debate and careful measuring, Anson and Garrard conclude that they did shortchange Ffynnon Garw, but the most generous estimate still puts it at only 984 feet. Convinced that the town's honor and reputation is at stake thanks to these meddling Englishmen, the good people of Ffynnon Garw hatch a plan by which they will add fifteen feet to their "hill;" meanwhile, the easily befuddled Anson finds himself falling under the romantic spell of a beautiful but firm-willed local woman, Betty of Cardiff (Tara Fitzgerald). Believe it or not, this seemingly fanciful comedy was actually based on a true story. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi

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Starring:
Hugh Grant, Tara Fitzgerald, (more)
Director(s):
Christopher Monger
Theatrical MPAA Rating:
PG
Format(s):
DVD
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Synopsis of The Englishman Who Went up a Hill But Came Down A Mountain

A proud Welsh community finds their civic pride and sense of community threatened by a team of surveyors in this charmingly eccentric comedy. Reginald Anson (Hugh Grant) and George Garrard (Ian McNeice) are a pair of British cartographers with Her Majesty's Ordinance Survey Office, who arrive in the small Welsh town of Ffynnon Garw, where, thanks to a linguistic quirk stemming from the British domination of Wales, many of the citizens in this town lack proper surnames and instead are identified by occupations or personal characteristics, such as Ivor the Grocer (Robert Blythe) or Johnny Shellshocked (Ian Hart). The town's greatest pride and most prominent landmark is a mountain (named, like the town, Ffynnon Garw), which they claim is the first mountain in Wales, and which helped protect the village from any number of Romans, Saxons, Norsemen, and other foreign invaders over the centuries. However, Reginald and George have some bad news for the townsfolk: under British law, a land mass must be at least 1,000 feet tall to qualify as a mountain, and according to their measurements, Ffynnon Garw comes in at only 930 feet, making it just a big hill. The citizens are shocked, insulted, and angry, and after much debate and careful measuring, Anson and Garrard conclude that they did shortchange Ffynnon Garw, but the most generous estimate still puts it at only 984 feet. Convinced that the town's honor and reputation is at stake thanks to these meddling Englishmen, the good people of Ffynnon Garw hatch a plan by which they will add fifteen feet to their "hill;" meanwhile, the easily befuddled Anson finds himself falling under the romantic spell of a beautiful but firm-willed local woman, Betty of Cardiff (Tara Fitzgerald). Believe it or not, this seemingly fanciful comedy was actually based on a true story. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi

Theatrical Feature Running Time:
96 mins

Complete Cast of The Englishman Who Went up a Hill But Came Down A Mountain


Director(s):
Christopher Monger
Writer(s):
Christopher Monger
Producer(s):
Sarah Curtis
Theatrical MPAA Rating:
PG(Adult Humor, Adult Language)
Categories:
Comedy
The Englishman Who Went up a Hill But Came Down A Mountain Awards:
  • 1994 - Moscow International Film Festival - Christian Jury Award
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    Andy G.

    This was a very simple film. It is actually a story of a town and the strength of their belief. It also portrays a small town coping with the loss of so many young men and boys to the war. I did have some issues with this film. One big one was the title. Please, if you are ever going to make a film do not make the title also the plot. I mean, I think you can gather from the title what the entire film is going to be like. Another problem was that this film was too simple. I felt that some deeper sub-plot could have been created to bring some depth to this community. I think the director tried to do this with the story of the local boy who had gone to war only to return mentally unstable. I think this could have been such a great sentimental story, but it just was not developed enough. Bravo to "Star Trek" man Colm Meaney with his portrayal of Morgan the Goat. He stole this film away from Hugh. See this film if you have the chance.

    Yes   |   No

     
    Laura P.

    My 18 year old daughter and 12 year old son and I really loved this movie. The story line is great and while the movie is very slow paced, it is also very entertaining. By some of the things at the end I am not sure if this is a true story or not (it comes across that it might be) but either way, it's not only a good movie for the whole family, but inspirational as well. The whole town gathers together under once cause and makes a difference that is important to them and their community.

    Yes   |   No

     
    Scott W.

    This light hearted film is set in a village of Wales (a separate country that occupies the same isle as England and Scotland). This is a must see for anyone whose family is Welsh and for all that are interested in Wales circa World War I. "While our boys are fighting the Germans, we can't let the English take away our mountain--this is a national emergency!"

    Yes   |   No

     
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